Fishing report, May 31-June 6: Landing big trout ‘like Steve Erwin on the back of a croc’
Compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
Photo gallery
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Best bets
Don Pedro bass and trout action good, Monte Smith said. Kaweah crappie drawing anglers, Michael Crayne reported. New Melones trout and bass hitting, Kyle Wise reported. McClure producing good bass numbers, Dave Hurley said. Bass Lake trout active, Mike Beighey reported.
Roger’s remarks: Hardheadedness is the enemy of improvement
One of the most difficult things to overcome is hardheadedness – getting stuck in your thinking and justifying it in spite of the clear evidence it’s not working. Our brains are powerful and it’s easy to build a line of rationale that keeps us doing exactly what hasn’t worked so far. It may be a pet idea, strategy, tactic, lure or technique that we are sure will work (or worked in the past) but doesn’t seem to be working now. I’ve watched buddies (and myself) pull out lures that worked years ago and tie them on trip after trip, determined to make them work. Sometimes it takes years to realize that what you’re doing just isn’t working, and it’s hard to admit it.
It’s human nature to think you have something figured out and go all in on it. It’s easier to make a quick decision and just execute the plan without hard consideration – especially when it’s been successful at some time. It’s a lot tougher to dig down and really evaluate whether you’re going the right direction. In addition, it’s tough to not let your ego get the best of you; “This is how I do it!” can be a real trap to improvement. I’ll confess I’ve done this several times before I could turn it around.
A couple years ago I was in the midst of a pretty good fishing year, but something kept nagging at me about my results. It took a lot of introspection to determine that the little voice telling me I was doing OK was drowning out what I needed to hear: I could do better.
I changed my strategy, and the first day I went out with my new plan I caught my biggest striper that year. I was back out fishing with a new vision, results and vigor. It changed everything. I had confronted the beast, my stuck-in-the-mud attitude, and faced my fears and concerns.
It’s amazing what an honest self-evaluation of what you’re doing can do to give you the clarity, energy and focus it takes to break old habits, create new ones and improve. Most anglers believe it’s a new lure or a new technique that will be the key to their success. I would suggest it’s really mostly in your attitude and thinking. It’s a fine line between staying steady and effective with a clear plan or getting caught in a treadmill where you never get to the goal.
Never give up!
Roger George: rogergeorge8@protonmail.com, Rogergeorgeguideservice on Facebook and @StriperWars
Valley
Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
The best action in the northern section of the California Aqueduct remains with anchovies, mackerel, blood worms, or pile worms using a heavy weight to stay on the bottom. Jerkbaits or topwater lures have been effective around the moving water near the headgates. Catfishing remains outstanding with chicken livers or cut bait.
In the south aqueduct in Kern County, Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a solid striped bass bite with topwater lures or jerkbaits in the early mornings or late afternoons into the evening. Jumbo minnows, cut bait, or lugworms are also effective with the best action around the moving water at the headgates. Catfish can be taken on the same baits along with chicken livers and Triple S Dip Bait. Largemouth bass are found with plastics in Green Pumpkin or Baitfish on the drop-shot along with jerkbaits or stick baits.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 3 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis said, “Eastman has been very busy, and the parking lot was filled with boat trailers on Wednesday. If you are planning on fishing there, you have to get there very early to get a spot in the parking lot. With all of the pressure, the bite has slowed down for bass, but most anglers are finding success by working the submerged brush piles with Senkos, creature baits, or plastics on a Ned-rig. There is a topwater bite in the early morning and late afternoons into the evening.” Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle confirmed the Eastman action on Senkos on a wacky-rig or plastics on the drop-shot in the submerged brush. He added, “Hensley has been very tough for bass with one angler working from first light to noon for only one fish.” Crayne added, “There are carp all in the shallows at Hensley, and bow hunters are out there thinning out the herd.” Eastman held steady at 577.74 feet in elevation and 90% with Hensley also holding at 522.88 feet in elevation and 73%.
Call: Eastman Lake 689-3255; Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Hensley Lake Hidden Dam 673-5151
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing was out with clients on Saturday, and he said, “We launched at 5:30 a.m. to avoid the boat traffic, and we found the trout in Middle Bay. The fish have been moving as they were in Fleming Bay earlier in the week. We lost a few fish at the start of the day using heavy spoons so I switched over to kokanee gear, and the trout and king salmon started biting. We ended up with two king salmon to 4 pounds, two kokanee, four rainbows, and a spotted bass, losing at least that many fish. What was amazing is that the fish were still biting at 30 to 35 feet even though there were jet skis circling around the boat while we were trolling. When we went by the Fleming Meadows launch ramp, the parking lot and launch ramp was full, but I was able to put my boat on the trailer at Blue Oaks after beaching it on the shoreline instead of the dock.” For bass, Ryan Cook of Ryan Cook’s Fishing said, “There is still a good topwater bite early or late with the Berkley Choppo or Strike King Sexy Dog in shad patterns before switching to ½-ounce G-Money jigs in brown/purple with a Lunker Daddy green pumpkin twin-tail trailer. The bass are holding at depths from 15 to 20 feet, and they are also biting on whatever plastics you want to throw at them. We found some quality bass in the 5- to 6-pound range this week.” The lake rose 7 feet to 787.97 in elevation and 76%.
Call: Monte Smith, Gold Country Sport Fishing (209) 581-4734; Kyle Wise, Head Hunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Fishing (559) 691-7008
Lake Isabella/Bakersfield area
Bass 2 Trout 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 3 Bluegill 3
The lake rose 6 feet to 2,590.71 in elevation and 72% as snowmelt in the upper river as water inflow remains steady at 5,431 cfs at Kernville with water releases out of the dam balanced at 7,192 cfs at First Point. The flows in the upper river are starting to back off, however, but they remain high overall. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported a good start to the annual Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby with rainbows over 5 pounds reported with Power Bait in rainbow, chartreuse, or garlic. Trollers are scoring with shad-imitation spoons such as Needlefish on lead core. Crappie have been scarce, but a few schools have been found near the bottom around structure with live minnows or small swimbaits. Bass are moving into the shallows, and crankbaits, large 7- to 10-inch plastic worms, rainbow trout-patterned swimbaits, or large-profile jigs are working. Catfishing remains solid with frozen shad, Triple S Dip Bait, or live minnows. A total of 14,000 pounds of rainbow trout was planted prior to the opener of the 32nd annual Kern County Chamber of Commerce Trout Fishing Derby including 4,000 pounds of Mt. Lassen rainbows and at least 400 pounds of trophies. The derby runs through June 4, and there are 500 tagged trout worth between $20 and $10,000 and over $55,000 in cash and prizes. Registration and information at kernrivervalley.com/isabellalakefishingderby. Trout fishing in both the upper and lower Kern River is limited by the high water flows over 7,000 cfs. Fishing is next to impossible.
Call: Bob’s Bait Bucket, Bakersfield (661) 833-8657; North Fork Marina (760) 376-1812; Golden Trout Pack Station (559) 542-2816
Lake Kaweah
Bass 2 Crappie 3 Trout 2 Catfish 2
The lake is rising again, coming up nearly 40 feet this week to 661.41 in elevation and 45%. Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported local anglers are heading south to Kaweah for crappie with various minijigs or live minnows. The majority of crappie are found near submerged rockpiles or wood structure near Horse Creek. With the lake rising, the slabs are in deeper water, and boaters have the clear advantage. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis confirmed the hot bite, saying, “There have been some big slabs coming out of Kaweah on small jerkbaits, typical crappie jigs, small spoons, or wax worms. Bass fishermen using plastics on the drop-shot are also catching crappie.” Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported good numbers of spotted and largemouth bass are taken on plastics on the drop-shot or Neko rig along with jigs or creature baits. Catfishing is best with Triple S Dip Bait, anchovies, or chicken livers. The Kaweah River at Three Rivers rose once again with warmer weather from 3,735 to 4,262 cfs.
Lake Success
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Trout 2 Catfish 2
Success rose a few feet to 643.69 in elevation and 77%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported solid bass action at depths from 2 to 20 feet deep with plastics in on the drop-shot, Neko rigs, and other finesse presentations in Aaron’s Magic, green pumpkin, or Ox Blood. Crappie are taken on small live minnows near the marina while catfish are found with chicken livers or Triple S Dip Bait.
Call: Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626, sequoiafishingcompany.com
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Bass action has been solid on rocky points or rockwalls with topwater lures in the early mornings before switching to ⅜-ounce football head jigs in brown/purple with a twin-tail trailer in green pumpkin. There has also been a decent bite with umbrella rigs in the same areas. 4-inch Senkos along with 2.8-inch Keitech swimbaits are also effective for the suspending fish. Limits are the rule for boat power and kayak tournaments but finding a kicker fish is a challenge. The lake is on the rise again, and it rose 17 feet to 823.84 in elevation and 73%.
Call: Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008
McSwain Reservoir
Trout 2
The lake continues to spill over at 107%, and the high water is expected through August with all of the snowmelt coming down the Merced River through the Exchequer Dam at upstream Lake McClure. The water clarity is limited, and trout plants are limited as they will be pushed over the spillway by the high water. Bank anglers continue to struggle for up to a fish or two per trip.
Call: Angler’s Edge Market (209) 226-4416; McSwain Marina (209) 378-2534
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 0 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis reported boaters are using their trolling motors to weave through the logjam upriver at Big Bend in order to get away from the wakeboard and waterski crowd in the main lake. Small spotted bass are taken on finesse plastics on a drop-shot along with jigs or Senkos while there is a reaction bite in shallow water with topwater lures, jerkbaits, or spinnerbaits. The bass are holding from 10 to 15 feet in depth. Water releases down the San Joaquin remain high at 10,223 cfs at Friant, and the lower San Joaquin River is closed to all water activity due to the high flows. Sycamore Lake Park remains open, and fishing is accessible. The lake rose 15 feet to 801.73 in elevation and 42%.\u0009
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 2
New Melones Reservoir will host the upcoming June 3 Kokanee Power Team Derby, and after Monday’s holiday, kokanee anglers will be pre-fishing in the lake in numbers. Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “Limits of holdover rainbows to 19 inches are easy at depths from 20 to 25 feet within the shad schools, but I think most trollers will struggle for kokanee on Saturday. The rising lake levels have scattered the kokanee, and you have to hunt around to find them. There have been some large kokanee to 17.5 inches landed here so far, but they have been scarce over the past few weeks.” Deadline for the derby is June 1 online. Information at kokaneepower.org. As always, anglers are encouraged to complete the kokanee and king salmon survey upon leaving the water on every trip. Bass action remains solid for numbers of spotted bass, but big fish have been hard to come by. With the rising lake levels, the bass are suspending, and finesse presentations are working best. The lake rose 13 feet to 1,029.61 in elevation this week and 73% with the start of snowmelt coming down the Stanislaus River. Downstream Lake Tulloch is at 98%. The dock at Glory Hole was moved to its highest position on Sunday.
Call: John Liechty, Xperience Fishing Guide Service (209) 743-9932; Ryan Cook, Ryan Cook’s Guide Service (559) 691-7008; Kyle Wise, Headhunter Guide Service (209) 531-3966; Monte Smith (209) 581-4734
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle said, “The bass are pulling off of the banks with the rising water levels, and the topwater bite that had been solid has gotten tough. The best action for spotted bass has been with crankbait, jerkbaits, or underspins at depths from 5 to 15 feet.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis said, “The spotted bass have been pushing up shad in the early mornings, and after a brief window for topwater, the best action is coming on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, or umbrella rigs as the fish are suspending. Trout trolling has improved at depths to 60 feet as the planters and holdovers are feeding on the shad schools. Shad-imitation spoons such as Needlefish or Speedy Shiners are working for the rainbows. Crappie action has slowed as most slab hunters are heading south to Kaweah.” The lake rose to 837.56 feet in elevation and 45%. The flows on the lower Kings at Trimmer are dangerous at 15,298 cfs with the warmer weather melting the snowpack. The river remains closed below the dam for any contact with the water.
Call: Valley Rod & Gun, Clovis 292-3474; Sequoia Fishing Co. 539-5626
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill said, “There is an early morning topwater bite with Zara Spooks, PopR’s, or Berkley El Choppos, but it doesn’t last very long. Once the sun peeks over the mountains, the topwater bite is over. Trollers are working Lucky Craft 128s, P-Line’s Predator Minnows, or similar lures close to the bottom in 40 to 50 feet of water by Basalt Recreation Area and Fisherman’s Point. Bank anglers are scoring with pile worms or anchovies, and we sold out of pile worms early in the weekend. In the O’Neill Forebay, the water remains muddy due to the heavy pumping in and out of the impoundment, and the best action has been with pile worms or anchovies near Check 12 or the Twin Islands. Michael Crayne of Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis confirmed the early morning topwater bite followed by trolling with deep-diving crankbaits or jerkbaits. The main lake has dropped to 97% while the forebay has risen to 83%.
To check the wind conditions on the lake, use windfinder.com/forecast/san_luis_reservoir.
Call: Coyote Bait and Tackle (408) 463-0711, Roger George, rogergeorgeguideservice.com (559) 905-2954
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 0
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing said, “The lake is kicking out some quality trout to 18 inches, but you have to weed through a bunch of 12- and 13- inch planters. There are no kokanee yet, but we’re out there so if they show up, we’ll be letting you know. After this cooldown, we will have to see how it affects the bite, but last week we caught and released a few dozen quality rainbows at depths from 15 to 30 feet with Dick’s Mountain Tubes or Mountain Hoochies in orange or pink. In addition, Rocky Mountain Tackle’s Radical Glow Tubes in pink or blue tipped with maggots are killing ‘em.” Michael Crayne of Valley Rod % Gun in Clovis added, “The largemouth bass are mostly done with the spawn, but the spots are spawning near the rockpiles close to the Pines Resort near the dam. Large swimbaits such as Mega Bass Mega Draft, umbrella rigs, or large Keitechs are all working.” A webcam of the launch ramp is at basslakeca.com. The lake rose from 85% to 90%.
Call: Mike Beighey, Bass Lake Fishing 676-8133
Edison/Florence/Mammoth Pool
The Kaiser Pass Lakes are out of play until late spring as heavy snow fell in the region. Road conditions 297-0706. Edison is at 9%, Florence at 21% and Mammoth Pool is spilling at 101%.
Call: Vermilion Valley Resort at Edison Lake 259-4000
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Kokanee 1 Trout 2
Tim Young of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project related the story of a huge brown trout at nearly 16 pounds caught by a team effort by Larry Reed of Auberry, 6-year-old grandson Noah and daughter Ericka. Young said, “He just threw a nightcrawler out while beached cooking hot dogs for the kids. He saw the line moving out and started reeling it as he felt it was of good size, but not that big. Reed handed the rig to Noah, and he worked it for around a dozen minutes as it kept taking line before making some ground. Noah got tired, and the fish was heading toward a submerged tree. Reed had to take over again, and after another 10-plus minutes, he finally got it to the boat. Ericka tried to net it and broke the net so she jumped in the water like Steve Erwin on the back of a croc and brought it to shore. Unfortunately, the old female brown couldn’t recover to be released.”
Shaver guide emeritus Dick Nichols added, “The lake didn’t kick out the multiple trout as predicted, in fact, the guys I talked to were still into holdover trout, with no signs of planted trout. Jeff Wolf of Kerman picked up only yearling trout along with a nice trophy using a Dick’s purple Koke Buster behind a purple Dick’s Mountain Dodger. Otherwise, it was pretty slow on Sunday. Saturday, Rick Berry of Kingsburg and his son, Luke, landed holdovers at 14 to 15 inches using Dick’s purple Mountain Tubes behind a Captain J Mountain Dodger. He also felt the new plants did not show.”
The Greg Mark’s Youth Derby is set for June 10 at the Edison Road 3 picnic area. Those interested in the Youth Derby can find the official participants’ registration online at shaverlaketrophytrout.org. A webcam of the Shaver launch ramp is at sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html.
Huntington has risen from 56% to 96%, and the launch ramp has been cleared. The campgrounds are still snowed in and inaccessible.
Call: Todd Wittwer, Kokanee.net Guide Service 288-8100; Jerad Romero, Jrods Guide Service 392-6994; Tom Oliveira, Tom Oliveira Fishing 802-8072
Wishon/Courtright
Trout 0
The heavy snowpack is melting rapidly, and the Dinkey Creek/McKinley Grove Road is scheduled to open on June 16 with the road to Courtright later toward the end of the month. Interested anglers should check road conditions through the High Sierra Ranger Station in Prather at 855-5355.
Call: Wishon RV Park 865-5361
Ocean
Half Moon Bay
Striper 2 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
The big news out of the Half Moon Bay harbor was the first batch of a total of 1 million salmon fry were delivered to the Coastside Fishing Club net pens this week. 250,000 fry were placed into the pens from the Mokelumne River Hatchery, and they will be released after acclimating for a few days. The surviving salmon are anticipated to return to the harbor area after three years, and the survival rate is greatly enhanced by direct planting into the ocean.
Rockfishing is allowed seaward of the 50-fathom curve in the San Francisco Management Zone until July 16 when rockfishing is allowed at all depths. Rockfish are not be taken in the open zone below Pigeon Point and transported back to Half Moon Bay through the San Francisco Groundfish Management Area until the season opens on July 16. Perch fishing from the shorelines or crabbing from the Pacifica Pier or surrounding beaches remain the highlight as the salmon closure has hit this port particularly hard.
link to see the specific location of the 50-fathom curve
Call: Captain Michael Cabanas, New Captain Pete (510) 677-7054; Captain Chris Chang, Ankeny Street (650) 279-8819; Captain Bill Smith, Riptide (650) 728-8433; Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing ,Queen of Hearts (510) 581-2628
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Striper 2 White seabass 2 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Deep water rockfishing out of Monterey has been outstanding with huge rockfish along with limits of ling cod to 25 pounds. Keith Semler of Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching in Monterey said, “It has just been incredible with 14 limits of chili pepper rockfish to go with 14 limits of ling cod. This is the way it has been on a daily basis. We are fishing fairly close to the harbor at the edge of the canyon at depths from 400 to 600 feet.”
Alan Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service said, “If ever was a season to allow deep water fishing, this is it. A shortened Dungeness crab season was followed by the announcement of a complete salmon fishing closure both sport and commercial. This week, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife enacted an emergency in-season regulations change lowering the daily bag limit for California halibut. The health and abundance of a few critical rockfish species has recovered well enough that the DFW now allows fishing past the previously inviolable 300-foot line.
Chris’s Fishing and Whale Watching Trips, launching from Monterey Harbor, has found at least one sweet spot. Reports this week show the Check Mate returning to home base with full limits of chilipepper rockfish and lingcod. Working out of Moss Landing, the Kahuna also reported full limits of rockfish for their trips this week, along with a few lingcod and up to 22 Petrale sole. The trips are $110/angler during the week and $120/angler on the weekends. Charter operations out of Santa Cruz tell the same story. Stagnaro’s Sportfishing summed up their weekend results thus, “LIMITS on all seven-hour deep sea trips (Thursday through Sunday). Twilight 4.5-hour cod trip (nearshore on Saturday) had about half-limits, plus a 15-pound lingcod!” Rodney Armstrong from Santa Cruz Coastal Charters reported on Monday saying, “We went hunting for chili peppers again. The weather was a bit choppy and did not really run into chilis. We found big yellows, canaries, and vermilion along with a couple of sole.” Go Fish Santa Cruz Charter’s Miss Beth reported “We fished the deep waters today. Our first drift we found small fish so we made a move where we found big rock cod including vermillion, green spots and chilipeppers. North of Point Sur, we are now allowed to keep only two legal (minimum 22-inch) halibut as a daily bag limit. Below Point Sur, the bag limit remains at five fish per day. The move to reduce keeper halibut numbers comes as no surprise. We’ve enjoyed four of five years in a row now of very good halibut fishing.”
Call: Chris’ Landing (831) 375-5951; Allen Bushnell, Santa Cruz Kayak and Surf Casting (831) 251-9732
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 1
Halibut and striped bass action in the south bay was incredible earlier in the week with party boats returning with up to 27 limits of striped bass and halibut on Tuesday before the halibut bite slowed as the tides became smaller toward the weekend. While halibut were less willing to bite, the bass were more than willing with those who stayed with it scoring limits of quality linesides. The limiting factor over the Memorial Day weekend was the intense pressure when the bass were busting bait on the surface with private boaters running through the diving birds, putting down the schools in short order. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Berkeley said, “We know to slide up on the working birds, cutting off of our engines, and keeping the schools near the boat.” Once a boat runs over the fish, the school scatters and the bite is over. In addition, the bait dock ran out of live bait on Sunday morning by 6 a.m., and no bait is expected on Monday.
Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina had a solid halibut score on Sunday with 39 flatfish to go with 22 stripers for 23 anglers for close to three fish per rod. He said, “The smaller tides account for the drop in halibut scores, but it is wide-open bass fishing when you can stay on the schools. I tried a couple of times today, but the boats kept running over them.”
Captain Jerad Davis of the Salty Lady out of Sausalito was looking forward to a deep-water rockfish trip on Tuesday since it is the last good-looking weather window for some time, but he continues to find solid action in the bay for striped bass limits of quality linesides over 10 pounds along with over a fish per rod on the halibut. He said, “We limited out on bass, and there were a number of fish in the 10- to 12-pound range before working for halibut and releasing all of the incidental catches of stripers. I am looking forward to heading back out for the deep-water rockfish as it was hard to get to the bottom through the mass of school fish. We tried to break through the school fish using 2-pound weights, but it was like hitting the bottom with two huge yellows or widows jumping on the lines.”
Johnny Wang of Turner’s Outdoorsman in Stockton was out on a private boat at Rittenberg Bank in the deep water, and he confirmed the school fish gobbling up their offerings around 80 feet in depth in 340 feet of water. He said, “I did break through for a limit of ling cod to 25 pounds, and it is very important to bring a descending device to get the rockfish back down to a comfortable depth.”
Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions out of San Francisco was able to come up just shy of halibut limits on a Saturday morning trips before loading up with halibut limits on his afternoon 1/2-day trip to go with limits of bass on both 1/2-day trips. He said, “I have been waiting until the majority of boats have moved off of the bird schools, and we throw some bait and get all we need within minutes. The smaller tides have affected the halibut scores, but we came up with 17 halibut and limits of bass for 8 anglers on Sunday.”
The majority of action remains in the south bay from Oyster Point south to the San Bruno Shoals on the peninsula side and from the Alameda Rockwall towards the Oakland Airport on the bay side.
Thursday, June 1 is the day when the halibut daily bag limit will temporarily go from three fish to two fish. All gear and size limits remain the same with a 22-inch minimum size.
For the first time in eight years, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife will release approximately 1 million fall-run Chinook salmon fry from the Feather River Hatchery at the Romberg Estuary and Ocean Science Center in Tiburon. Additional release sites are Fort Baker and Vallejo, and survival rate rises exponentially the closer the release to the Golden Gate.
Call: Captain Ron Koyasako, Nautilus Excursions (916) 704-4169; Captain Jerad Davis, Salty Lady (415) 760-9362; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Happy Hooker (510) 223-5388
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfish season is now open in this section of the coast at all depths through Sept. 30. The Black Pearl out of Virg’s Landing in Morro Bay was out on an overnight trip Saturday with 22 passengers for 88 vermilion, 60 assorted rockfish, 32 Boccaccio, and five ling cod while the Fiesta and Rita G ran trips ranging from 1/2- to 3/4-day with a total of 48 anglers for 116 vermilion, 284 assorted rockfish, and 30 Boccaccio for near rockfish limits. Also out of Morro Bay, the Avenger, Starfire, and Endeavor were out on Memorial Day on trips ranging from ½ to 3/4-day with a combined 61 anglers for 206 vermilion, 227 assorted rockfish, 86 Boccaccio to go with 5 ling cod and a single cabezon. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis, the Patriot, Flying Fish, and Phenix were out on Memorial Day on 3/4-day trips with a combined 52 passengers for 97 vermilion, 35 copper, 16 Boccaccio, 184 assorted rockfish, 2 rock sole, 2 cabezon, 2 halibut, 9 ling cod, and an ocean whitefish.
From Oct. 1 through Dec. 31 the take of shelf and slope rockfish and lingcod is open seaward of the 50-fathom line. Take is prohibited shoreward of the 50 fathom RCA line. Boats out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis are filling up for the opening week. Webcams of many of the coastal locations are at 805webcams.com.
Call: Virg’s Landing (800) 762-5263; Patriot Sport Fishing (805) 595-4100; Morro Bay Landing
Others
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 2 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
Heavy inflow from the upper Sacramento River along with the San Joaquin have created extremely high water conditions in the Delta. With the Sacramento, American, and Feather Rivers running near full bore, action for striped bass on the Sacramento side has slowed. The stripers are still coming up the river, but they are also heading back down to the bay after spawning. With the tremendous number of striped bass in San Francisco Bay, there are still big numbers of stripers that have yet to head up the river. With the high water, American shad action has also slowed down at the traditional locations of Discovery Park and Freeport.
In the San Joaquin River, Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo’s Sport Fishing out of Lauritzen’s Yacht Harbor in Oakley said, “Striped bass fishing has gotten tough as I ran all over on Saturday to work for four limits of linesides. The places I expected them to be, they weren’t there. It has been slow throughout the week, but there are more fish coming back downriver.”
Alan Fong of Alan Fong’s Outdoors was in the north Delta this week, and he said, “We were going to target striped bass, but it was too windy so we switched over for largemouths, and we had a good day, catching over 25 including some good ones.”
Johnny Wang, manager of Turner’s Outdoorsman in Stockton, added, “The Sacramento side of the Delta has been slow for stripers, and your best bet has been in the south Delta. There are stripers up around Walnut Grove and Isleton, but the central Delta on the Sacramento side has been very slow. Schools are moving up and down the system, and it is a matter of finding them.”
Dave King of Nor Cal Bass said, “We held a 30-boat tournament out of Ladd’s Marina in Stockton on Saturday, and I found a good bite in the morning on topwater PopR’s along with spinnerbaits and chatter baits. I must have caught 50 bass during the tournament, but most were in the 1- to 2-pound range. The recent cold front moving in has created kind of a. lull, and I couldn’t find 70-degree water anywhere.” Most of the tournament anglers reported their best action on spinnerbaits or chatter baits.”
Sea lions are becoming a greater and greater concern as they have been found up the Feather River into the Yuba River system. In the Delta, there are sea lions reported on the docks in nearly every marina, and anglers are noticing their impact on all species of the Delta’s fish, particularly on spawning largemouth bass who are very vulnerable on the beds. The sea lions are the alpha species with no known predators in fresh water systems.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife held a special online meeting on May 16 regarding the current status and the upcoming process for regulation changes for white sturgeon. The stated goal of the department is to implement the new regulations by 2025 through a process of public input along with input during Fish and Game Commission meetings; however, there exists the possibility that Interim Emergency Regulations for a catch and release-only fishery may be needed until harvest rates can be effectively managed with the new regulations. The Department’s next step is to release an Angler Survey available in English, Spanish, Korean, Russian, Tagalog, Vietnamese, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. The link for the survey is https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Fishes/Sturgeon. Anglers can add their voice by completing the survey, sending any questions to the Department at Sturgeon@wildife.ca.gov, and attending future meetings of the Fish and Game Commission and Wildlife Resources Committee meetings, either in person or online.
For sturgeon, few six-pack captains remain in Pittsburg, but the diamondbacks haven’t received the memo as they remain from Rio Vista to the Carquinez Bridge with the greatest population west of Pittsburg. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing continues to find good action for slot-limit fish out of Pittsburg, and he is offering sturgeon specials on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday for $1,000 for six anglers.
Call: Randy Pringle (209) 543-6260; Captain Steve Mitchell, Hook’d Up Sport Fishing (707) 655-6736; Vince Borges, Vince Borges Outdoors (209) 918-0828
Lake Nacimiento/San Antonio/Santa Margarita/Lopez
Bass 3 White bass 2 Striper 0 Catfish 3 Crappie 2 Bluegill 2 Trout 2
At Nacimiento, the lake remains high at 93%. Cope’s Rod and Tackle in Bakersfield reported excellent action for spotted bass at depths from 5 to 20 feet with topwater lures or walking-style baits in the early mornings before heading to the bottom with plastics on the drop-shot, Neko-rig, or dart head. White bass are hitting a variety of white spoons, spinners, topwater lures, or swimbaits as they are feeding heavily on the lake’s shad schools. Catfish are taken on Triple S Dip bait or chicken livers, and crappie are hitting minijigs tipped with Crappie Nibbles along with small live minnows. See a webcam of the lake at 805webcams.com/lake-nacimiento-live-webcam.
Lopez Lake remains high and spilling at 100.1%. Plastics on a variety of presentations or Senkos are working from the bank to 10 feet in the grass. Trout plants will continue through the summer months, and this will help both trout fishermen along with bass anglers willing to throw big swimbaits. See a webcam of the lake at 805webcams.com/lopez-lake-webcam.
Santa Margarita is nearly full at 99.8%. Bass fishing has been fair at best on reaction lures with the best technique being plastics on a variety of presentations or Senkos near the shorelines. See a webcam of the lake at 805webcams.com/santa-margarita-lake-webcam-california.
At San Antonio, the lake is holding at 70%, and it is starting to clear up. Once the lake clears, fishing could be as good as it has been in recent memory for bass, catfish, and crappie.
Reminder: consuming white bass, black bass, crappie, catfish, or carp are subject to safe eating guidelines due to excessive mercury.
Tournament Results
Lake Camanche – Fresno Bass Club- May 20: 1st – Bill Kunz – 16.39 (Big Fish – 6.77); 2nd – Set Rowe – 13.49; 3rd – Jesse Perez Jr. – 13.07.
Delta/Ladd’s Marina– Nor Cal Bass - May 27: 1st – Lorenzo and Lucca Rossetti – 19.25 (Big Fish – 5.88); 2nd – Rick and Quinn Alexander– 14.88; 3rd – John Avilar/Terry Mansfield – 13.57.
Delta/Russo’s Marina – New Jen Bass Tournaments – May 27: 1st –Mark Gomez/Juan Acosta – 25.60 pounds; 2nd – Aaron Britt/Nick Burggraff– 18.45; 3rd – Rodney Brinser/Russ Probst – 17.64.
Upcoming Tournaments (Dates and locations subject to change)
June 2
Delta/Big Break Marina – Bass N’ Fly
June 3/4
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments
Delta/B and W Resort – California Bass Nation
Don Pedro – Modesto Ambassadors
June 3
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Nor Cal Bass
New Melones – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments
New Melones – Kokanee Power Team Tournament
Don Pedro – 17/90 Bass Club
Eastman – Kerman Bass Club
Kaweah – Bakersfield Bass Club
Santa Margarita – Best Bass Tournaments
June 7
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal
June 10/11
Delta/B and W Resort – Fresno Bass Club
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Angler’s Press
New Melones – California Bass Federation
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments
Pine Flat – Kings River Bass Club
June 10
Delta/B and W Resort – Manteca Bassin’ Buddies
New Hogan – Nor Cal Bass
McClure – Sierra Bass Club
Shaver Lake – Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project Youth Derby
Isabella – Kern County Bass Masters
Santa Margarita – San Luis Obispo County Bass Ambushers
June 11
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Kings VIII Bass Club
New Melones – Modesto Ambassadors/Slay Nation Kayak Tournament
June 14
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal
June 15
Salt Springs – Slay Nation Kayak Tournament
June 17
New Melones – American Bass Association
Don Pedro – Wild West Bass Trails
Kaweah – Central Valley Kayak Fishing
Isabella – Golden Empire Bass Club
Santa Margarita – 805 Bass Addicts
June 21
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal
June 23/24
Delta/Big Break Marina – Yak A’ Bass
June 23
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Stanislaus County Sheriff’s
June 24
Pardee- Central Valley Angler’s Kokanee Tournament
Don Pedro – Valley Backlashers
Isabella – American Bass Association
June 28
Delta/Ladd’s Marina – Bertolli Disposal
July 1/2
Delta/Russo’s Marina – Best Bass Tournaments
Pine Flat – Bass 101
July 1
Tulloch – 17/90 Bass Club
Nacimiento – San Luis Obispo Bass Ambassadors
